


I Know the Sun Must Set to Rise

by Zetal (Rodinia)



Category: Supernatural
Genre: Castiel is a Good Man, Human!Castiel - Freeform, King of Heaven!Dean, King of Hell!Sam, M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-02-16
Updated: 2020-03-27
Packaged: 2021-02-19 14:16:30
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 3,850
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22745824
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Rodinia/pseuds/Zetal
Summary: As the King of Hell, Sam is a busy man.  Too busy, sometimes.  Things slip through the cracks.This time, a soul that should never have gotten anywhere near Hell ended up inside.  Sam wants to make it right.
Relationships: Castiel/Sam Winchester, Dean Winchester & Sam Winchester
Comments: 34
Kudos: 48





	1. Chapter 1

“So get this.” Sam settled into his chair and accepted the beer Dean pushed over to him. “Meg showed up in the throne room to throw a fit at me.”

Dean snorted. “Meg. Thought she was your most loyal, most trusted, and favorite of those sons of bitches you’ve got working for you.” Absolutely correct. As demons went, Meg was reliable, and although she didn’t necessarily agree with Sam’s decisions, she’d thrown everything she had into helping him run Hell the way he wanted to. Sam had no qualms about having her as his chief advisor. “What was so important to her that she’d risk everything by getting on your bad side?”

Sam ducked his head, hiding the slightly embarrassed smile. “Crowley enforced a deal that she thought I should have intervened in. I took a look at the deal, and she’s right, I should have done something. I think Meg enjoyed the chance to tell me off and have me have to admit I’d messed up, and then the chance to get Crowley of all demons in trouble was a nice bonus.” Meg hadn’t risked anything and she’d known that. Other kings of Hell might have been pissed, but Sam wasn’t like that. It was one of the reasons Meg was so loyal to him; he was willing to listen to her.

Dean tilted his head, acknowledging that was fair enough. “That why you wanted to meet? You wanna send the soul up to me?”

“Well, I know you’ll take him,” Sam said. If it were just that, he wouldn’t have bothered asking Dean for a special meeting, he’d have just sent the guy up to the reward he deserved. “His little sister got shot in a bank robbery gone wrong, and the doctors didn’t have much hope that they could save her. He headed for a crossroads and made a deal with Crowley to trade his life for hers.”

“And then let me guess, he didn’t use whatever time he got to go nuts and do whatever the hell he wanted, because he already knew he was headed your way?” Dean said.

“Actually, he did,” Sam said. “It’s just that what he wanted to do was to forget worrying about having money for retirement or any kind of estate to leave to his kids, and he spent every penny he earned above what he needed to feed and clothe himself on helping the poor or disabled or victims of violence or natural disasters.” That was the part that had Sam so impressed with the guy. That had Sam considering something other than just sending him up to Dean like he deserved.

“Wow, Sammy, can’t believe you let him into your realm to begin with. What happened, you forget that Crowley’s a demon and doesn’t care about your rules?”

“Not sure if it was a coincidence or some kind of scheme, but there was an insurrection by Alastair’s people. Not Alastair himself, he’s not my biggest fan but he’s smarter than to try to overthrow me without a much bigger army and solider plan, but it was enough of a distraction that I overlooked the circumstances of Castiel’s contract. When I talked to Crowley about it, he said that he figured I’d intervene but that was no reason not to make the deal and bring him in for the little power we could get from him before I handed him over.”

“Okay, so what’s the deal? I know you didn’t request this meeting just to have the privilege of my charming company,” Dean drawled. “It’s not Sunday.”

Sam huffed a soft laugh. “Well, I found Castiel and talked to him, and told him that deal or not, he belonged in heaven. I was gonna take him to Jessica myself.” Jessica was Sam’s favorite Reaper, one of the few who wasn’t afraid to come into Hell. “He refused to go. He said he made a deal, and Rachel not only recovered from the gunshot but came out of it a better person because of the second chance at life, so he would honor his word.”

Dean stared at Sam, mouth hanging open. Sam couldn’t blame him. He was sure he’d looked exactly the same when Castiel had told him that. “So… what are you gonna do with him?”

“Well, before I left, I made sure Alastair and his people knew that if any demon laid a hand on Castiel, I was calling in a favor from you and seeing if you could find an archangel who could use some practice flexing their demon-smiting muscles.” It wouldn’t be hard. Emma or Krissy would almost certainly jump at the chance, and Ben certainly wouldn’t mind. Lucas hated fighting, but demons might be an exception. “But then what? I don’t want to damn him to a life of boredom, but I can’t just… what?”

Dean’s snickering subsided enough that he could talk. “Dude, how long have I been telling you to find your own Lisa? Get yourself a consort down there? And you keep saying it’s hard, because you’re not gonna shack up with a demon and the human souls that end up down there aren’t people you wanna associate with. Here you are. Perfect candidate falls into your lap, and you’re up here asking me what to do with him?”

“Dean!” Sam fought down the flutters he’d been trying to ignore since he heard Castiel’s story. “I am not gonna force him to…”

“Whoa, Sammy, I didn’t say anything about forcing him into anything,” Dean snapped. “Seduce him. Take him on dates, give him a hellpuppy to raise, win his love. Not just declare that he’s your consort like you’re some medieval king taking what you want because you want it.”

“And if he rejects me?” Sam said.

Dean rolled his eyes. “Then you set up a meeting here, bring him, let me explain to him what a moron he is and tell him that it’s a way to get the reward he deserves in the love of a good person while still honoring his word. Or I rules lawyer him to realize that technically the deal he made was to go to Hell, not to stay there for eternity. And if he still says no, you find him something else, but after giving that a try you’ll know him better and what he’d like and would take.”

Sam considered while he drank his beer. He had to admit, it made sense, and part of him probably had decided to come to Dean because Dean would give him permission to try. It was worth a shot.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hell lore and awkwardness.

Sam didn’t have long to think about Dean’s suggestion before Ruby came in to tell him one of the damned souls wanted to talk to him. “Normally wouldn’t bug you, just stick him in the schedule somewhere, but this is the one you said was off-limits. Thought I’d at least check to see if you wanted to go ahead and see him now, since you’re so fond of him.”

“Do I have time? When am I supposed to go inspect the hellhound kennels?” If he had time, he might invite Castiel to come with him. See how well he got along with various dogs, and if he might like to have one of his own. Get to know him a little bit better.

Ruby read his mind. “You’ve got fifteen minutes before you have to leave. If you take him with you, that should be plenty of time for him to tell you he’s changed his mind and wants to go to Heaven after all.”

“Send him in.” Sam stood up. Being on his throne while he started Operation Try Not to Awkward Yourself Out of a Friend or Consort just felt wrong. Bad enough that it was here, with Castiel seeking an audience, instead of Sam going to him. Of course, just standing around looming wasn’t any better. He could go play with one of the artifacts, but almost everything in here was a weapon, which seemed counterproductive. Without enough time to think of anything better, he did his best to look casual.

When Castiel came in, he stared at Sam with his head tilted to one side. “Your Majesty. Am I still supposed to kneel if you’re leaning against a wall?”

“No. You don’t kneel to me, period.” Sam pushed himself up. “You’re in Hell, yes, but I claim no authority over you. You can do whatever you want, and you don’t have to jump through any of the hoops of proper behavior toward a king.”

“I’m a condemned soul. By definition, that makes me yours to command.” Castiel knelt. “Your Majesty, thank you for granting this audience.”

Off to a great start, then. “I am the absolute ruler of Hell. My word down here is law. I have complete authority.” He paused and crouched beside Castiel. “Which means that if I say you’re not subject to my authority, you’re not. And, as you were subject to my word until I made that decree, means that you have to obey that one. Get up.” Castiel obeyed slowly, and Sam held back the eye roll. “Okay. Also, you’re free to call me Sam. Can’t make that one a royal decree, but it’d be a little weird. What were you wanting to talk to me about?”

Castiel squinted at Sam. “Why can’t you make that a royal decree?”

A soft huff of amusement escaped before Sam could stop it. “Well, I mean, I can, but since I just told you you’re not subject to my authority, I don’t have any way of enforcing it. And the demons aren’t allowed to touch you anyway, so there’s not really anything they can do about it.”

“Right. Demons. That’s why I’m here.” Castiel took a deep breath, not that he needed to breathe, but Sam understood. He did the same thing. Habit and a good way to cover gathering mental resources. “I knew what would happen to me when I made my deal, and accepted those terms. Why are you protecting me?”

“Well, for one thing, when I talked to my brother about you, he pointed out that the technical legal terms of the deal require you to go to Hell. It says nothing about what happens to you when you’re here, or even that you have to stay. You’ve fulfilled your end of the deal, so there’s absolutely no reason you can’t go up to Heaven and get the peace you deserve.” Sam laughed softly at the look on Castiel’s face. “Yeah, you know we’ve got a ton of lawyers down here, nobody does legal technicalities like Hell. Also, I know you know that Hell is a place of torture, but do you know what happens to a soul down here? Besides the torture, I mean?”

Castiel shook his head. “I had assumed it was just torture for eternity. Is it not?”

“In your case, it might well be.” Sam took a step closer to Castiel. “As your soul is tortured, it’s corrupted. Someone with a truly good soul takes a lot longer to break than the usual kind we get down here, but it happens eventually. A strong will and sense of self can also help prolong the torture for a good person, or stop the torture quickly for a bad one.”

“I don’t understand. Why would anyone want to prolong the torture if they know there’s an end to it?” Castiel asked.

“Because the end is that you become a demon. As you’re tortured, your humanity is burning away. Every good part of you, every memory of being human, everything you’ve ever loved… it’s all burned away in the torture. When all that’s left of your soul is the black smoke, the evil within, the absolute worst of you… you become one of them. You join us. I’ve never seen anyone hold out forever, but there are some people on the racks who have been there for centuries, or millennia. From before my time, but still. Every few years, I go to them and offer them a chance to get off, to let them have whatever peace I can find them. No one’s ever taken me up on it.” Sam smiled ruefully. “Faith and trust are the first things to go, so now they’re too paranoid to believe that I really mean it when I say that the torture can be over, they can keep whatever they have left, and if they want to try I’ll talk to my brother and see if they have a chance to go up to Heaven.”

“So all you’re doing differently for me than you would for them is that I’ve only spent a year on the rack,” Castiel said, a slight wonder coming into his voice.

“Exactly.” Sam’s smile dropped, and he shoved his hands in his pockets. “For which I owe you an apology, by the way. Normally, I intervene before it gets that far, but I overlooked your case. A good person who sells their soul for a good reason – like yours – I free from their deal before they spend even a day on the rack.”

“I see. And if I disagree with your interpretation of my deal?”

Sam shrugged. “You’re not under my authority, I can’t force you to go to Heaven, but the demons are. Any demon I catch laying a violent hand on you will get to deal with my wrath. I refuse to let your soul become fodder for the darkness.”

Castiel tilted his head, considering that. “If your authority is absolute, why don’t you just make those souls on the rack get off? Don’t they have to obey?”

That was a question Dean had asked him so often Sam couldn’t remember how many times. None of them did he have a good answer for. “They do. I could make it an official command, but they’re so far gone… I don’t know that they could have peace. At this point, at least a part of them truly wants to be on that rack. Can you honestly say that, or is it just that you made the deal and believe in accepting the consequences?”

Castiel opened his mouth, but let it snap back closed. “The second. I’m very much dreading having to get on the rack again, but I did make that deal. I’m not leaving Hell. Are you dooming me to eternal boredom?”

“Better than eternal torment only to see you end up a demon, but no, that’s not the plan,” Sam said with a quick grin. “Listen, I’m scheduled to go check on the hellhounds and make sure they’re being properly cared for. Do you want to come with me?”

Castiel hesitated, but then nodded. “They know I’m no longer food or prey?”

“They’ll obey me,” Sam reassured him. He hadn’t thought of the fact that Castiel’s death would have been caused by being ripped apart by hellhounds. Still, he’d be there to protect Castiel and show him the good side of them. “Let’s go.”


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hellhounds! AKA the goodest girls.

The walk to the hellhounds was awkward, Castiel not wanting to talk much and Sam not knowing what to say. When they got there, he warned Castiel, “You might want to stay back right at first. Most of the dogs will be in their cages, but there’s usually a few loose, and they’ll be excited to see me. They won’t hurt you, but after what you’ve been through, seeing them running at me might be triggering.” Castiel nodded and took a couple steps away from the door to the kennel area. Sam threw it open, braced and ready for the assault as three hounds came charging at him.

Cordelia was his favorite of the hounds, and it came as no surprise at all that she was accompanied by Regan and Goneril, her usual packmates. The bigger surprise was that Desdemona and Emilia weren’t there. “Hello, girls! Hold still, it’s hard to pet you when you’re wagging so hard your entire body wiggles!” One hand each went to Regan and Goneril, while Cordelia jumped up on his shoulders to lick his face. For a moment, he let himself just enjoy petting his girls. Then he felt a nose in his knee, and he knelt to reach to pet the new addition. “Hi Desdemona! There you are! Now where’s…” He trailed off as he caught Castiel’s face, staring with his mouth hanging open. “I can understand why you’re afraid of them, but unless you’re prey, they’re just dogs. Big dogs, yes, scary-looking once you can see them… can you see them?”

“I can see them,” Castiel confirmed.

Sam had figured. After all, they’d killed him. He could see them for what they were. “I promise you, they are just good doggos. Aren’t you, girls? You are very good girls!” The now six dogs around him, with the addition of Bianca and Emilia, started wagging again. “Get some of this energy out, and then I want to introduce you to someone, okay? But I need you to behave your best for him, because he’s scared of you.”

Cordelia looked over at Castiel, and she immediately lowered herself to the ground, whining. Sam flinched and closed his eyes. “Cordy, no, you’re not in trouble, you were doing what you were supposed to do. But you don’t need to hurt him anymore, do you?” Cordelia whined again, lowering herself even further. “Good girl.”

“Are these… this is the pack that…” Castiel took a step back, hands shaking a little. “These dogs are the ones that took me?”

“I’m afraid so,” Sam said, trying not to wince too hard. “If I’d known they were the ones out for exercise, I wouldn’t have…”

“No, it’s…” Castiel took a deep breath, unnecessary for air but needed for composure. He approached the pile slowly, holding a hand out to Cordelia to sniff. “Do I still smell like food, girl?”

Cordelia slunk her way toward him, still whining a bit as she sniffed his hand. Almost immediately after sniffing, her entire demeanor changed, as she rolled onto her back and wagged as hard as she could. Sam let the tension drain from his shoulders. “Pretty sure that’s a no, you smell like friend, and she would like a belly rub please. That one’s Cordelia. She’s the leader of this pack. If she says you’re a friend, you won’t have trouble with the others.”

“Okay.” Castiel crouched and reached out to gently stroke Cordelia’s fur. When that got a positive reaction, he started scratching gently, and before long, he was giving her a proper double-handed belly rub and Cordelia was wriggling with great joy. Castiel was even smiling. “I loved dogs, up above. I couldn’t adopt one, not after my deal, knowing I’d leave a pet behind, but I could volunteer at shelters and occasionally foster dogs that needed extra love and attention.”

Goneril nosed her way under one of Castiel’s hands. “That’s Goneril, and she is a bit of an attention hog. She’s happy to sit and get pets all day if she can find someone willing to give them. She’s a good girl, but we have to keep an eye on her to make sure the others get attention, don’t we, Goneril?” Goneril yipped, causing Castiel to flinch, and then nudged Castiel to apologize. “Regan’s a little shier, but she loves pets, too.” Regan inched closer, and Castiel took his other hand off Cordelia to pat Regan’s head.

Castiel’s fear was all gone now. He was smiling as he tried to pet all three dogs with only two hands. “You were right. They are good dogs.”

Almost immediately, Castiel was given reason to regret his words, as Desdemona jumped toward him and caused him to fall. Emilia was right behind her, and now it was Castiel’s turn to be surrounded by five wriggly wagging dogs eager to shower him with affection. Sam looked down at Bianca, who was sitting quietly and obediently at his side. “What’s wrong? You can go get pets too, if you want. I don’t think Castiel will mind one more.” Bianca whined a little, causing Sam to crouch. “Come on, girl, just tell me. You’re not usually shy like this.”

Bianca went over to Castiel, finding an opening to get in and take her own sniff. She dodged Castiel’s hand and backed out as quickly as she’d gotten in, looking to Sam for permission for… something, anyway. “Okay, show me what you want, sweetheart.”  
He was not expecting Bianca to run off, but she did. Sam was torn between going after her and hanging back to make sure the dogs didn’t turn on Castiel. They were good girls and had no reason to turn, but he’d promised Castiel that he’d be safe. When he saw Bianca coming back, he relaxed, until he saw what she had in her mouth. “Bianca, what…”

Bianca went and sat beside Castiel, setting her precious cargo down between her front paws. She gave one bark, just enough to get Castiel’s attention, and then picked up her prize again, stretching forward to offer it to Castiel.

“Sam? Can I…?” Castiel asked, hesitantly reaching out. Sam nodded, not trusting his voice from the shock. Castiel reached out to very gently pet the puppy, and stared at his hand in surprise when Bianca settled the puppy in it. The puppy was tiny, fitting in Castiel’s hand easily. “What… are you the pup’s mother?” Castiel asked Bianca.

“Not exactly, but she’s close enough,” Sam confirmed. “Bianca, are you sure about this?” Bianca yipped and joined her packmates in frolicking. “She’s got a good point. Ophelia’s mother Gertrude didn’t do anything to stop her littermates from blocking her from food, and didn’t seem to care about her. Bianca’s litter didn’t make it more than a couple days past birth, she’s got a genetic defect I didn’t know about, so I took Ophelia and gave her to Bianca. That got Ophelia here, but I was worried about what would happen to her after weaning. If you take her, I know you’ll make sure she gets food and gets her chance to grow up – and you finally get to have that dog you always wanted but never could have.”

Castiel pulled the puppy a little closer, lifting her until he could look her in the eyes. “Hello, Ophelia, would you like to be my dog?” Ophelia gave the tiniest yip ever, and then yawned and went to sleep in Castiel’s hands. “I think that’s a yes. How will this work? She’s clearly not old enough to leave Bianca, so…”

“So take Bianca with you too. When Ophelia’s old enough to not need her anymore, she’ll come back to her pack, and you can bring them down for visits any time, of course. Cordy will get the word spread that you’re not only no longer prey, but a source of pets and belly rubs, and the only thing you’ll have to fear from any of the hounds is that they can’t get enough ear skritches.”


End file.
